Embossed plywood panel and process



Aprifl BUQKLEY 247 47 EMBOSSED PLYWOOD PANEL AND PROCESS Filed 001;. 3, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 w 1... G. BUCKLEY EMBOSSED PLYWOOD PANEL AND PROCESS April 1 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 2, 1961 mum April n% L. G. BUCKLEY M7 4? EMBOSSED PLYWOOD PANEL AND PROCESS Filed Oct. 2, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 V 4 WW Y W U I f/YVEWWDR, m WRE/YCE G. BUC/fl EV Aprifl w, mm L. G. BUCKLEY EMBOSSED PLYWOOD PANEL AND PROCESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct.

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EMBOSSED PLYWOOD PANEL AND PROCESS Filed Oct. 2, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN TOR. lAW/Pf/YCE G. El/CKLf) planking.

United States Patent 3,247,047 EMBQSSED PLYWOGD PANEL AND PROCESS Lawrence G. Buckley, 1804 102nd Place, Bellevue, Wash. Filed Oct. 2, 1961, Ser. No. 144,001 2 Claims. (Cl. 161-423) Purchasers of furniture, wall paneling, and like wooden products often desire them to be made of hardwoods because of the distinctive and attractive graining of the hardwood, but cannot afford the cost involved. Simulations of hardwood graining, even so exact as are produced by photographic reproduction of the hardwood grain upon specially prepared surfaces, are available at moderate cost, but have not met with favor. The surface whereon such reproductions are printed must be so smooth overall that the visual and tactual effect of depth, present in true hardwood surfaces, is lost.

Lauan is an example of an inexpensive and abundant wood, much used in plywood panels, that has had some use in panels and paneling, in furniture, etc., but such woods as lauan have no distinctive graining pattern, and convey an impression of sameness throughout, that in large expanses of paneling becomes monotonous. It is a porous wood, with numerous rather indistinct, somewhat elongated pores over its entire surface, hence not smooth enough to receive photographic reproduction of graining.

I have discovered that lauan panels can be treated, on their exposed surface at least, in a manner to cause them to lose their identity as lauan, and to resemble an expensive hardwood panel, not only visually but also tactually, so that except on close inspection a lauan panel, so treated at low cost, will be taken by the casual observer to be a panel of a much more expensive hardwood, which it resembles to the eye, and the depth of graining whereof it simulates to the touch. Thereby an inexpensive product is upgraded, and can be sold at a higher price, yet at a price far less than the price of the hardwood panel which it simulates. This increases the market for lauan, and affords a reasonable profit for the processor.

The processing involves embossment upon the lauan panel of the graining pattern of some selected hardwood, walnut for example, and the pigmentation of the embossed graining to emphasize by contrast the high and the low portions of the embossed graining.

Optionally there may be embossed or otherwise indented in the surface of the panels grooves to simulate If this is done the embossed graining in the different planks may be contrastingly pigmented, or all may be pigmented alike.

The present invention is concerned with a process for applying such a pattern inexpensively to a panel of the character described, and to the finished panel.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention is shown by Way of example in a typical panel and in atypical simulated wood grain pattern. It will be evident that the graining pattern and the simulation of planking may be varied in many different ways, and that the present invention is directed to the principles involved rather than to any specific pattern.

FIGURE 1 is a face view of a completed panel, and FIGURES 2, 3, and 4 are similar views showing individual portions of such a panel, to a larger scale.

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view on a small scale, illustrating the embossing operation.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on a plane transverse to the general longitudinal extent of the embossed pattern, illustrating an assumed grain pattern.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, showing a final operational step in the process, although somewhat idealized.

Lauan has been mentioned above, and is used for all plies, or at least for the face lamination or ply, of commercial plywood panels. Lauan is one of several woods that can be so treated, and a lauan panel is well-adapted to be treated according to the process of this invention. This wood is obtained principally from Philippine forests and is sometimes called Philippine Cedar or Philippine Mahogany. It has no distinctive grain pattern when peeled and laminated, nor when it is in the form of a solid or unlarninated panel. It is quite inexpensive and would be widely used were it not for the fact that it lacks the distinct graining which characterizes woods such as walnut, oak, sen, teak, redwood, birch, cherry, maple or even Douglas fir. Lauan, of course, is not the only such wood which lacks a distinct wood grain, and other suitable woods are mentioned hereinafter, but it is one which is readily obtainable at a low cost, and therefore is used as a typical wood. The graining which is applied to the lauan panel by the present invention may well simulate the graining of walnut or other such wood, as mentioned above. Therefore, a low-priced product may be converted into a simulation of a high-priced product.

The first step in the process is at least to emboss upon the panel surface a pattern simulating wood graining. The process of embossment of wooden surfaces, particularly panels, is well known, and no departure from the conventional embossing process is intended. The operation is, however, shown in FIGURE 5, wherein an embossing roller 1, heated by any suitable means, several of which are known in the art, and bearing upon its exterior the desired pattern, is urgedagainst the surface A of the advancing panel P under sufficient pressure, and usually accompanied by sufficient heat, to impress within the surface A a series of grooves G normally of varying depth and irregular contour and at intervals spaced varyingly across the surface A, to produce a simulation of wood graining. Preferably at intervals across the width of the panel there might be provided deeper and parallel grooves B of even depth throughout which would be intended to simulate the interstices between edge-abutted planks, and each plank would bear an embossed pattern of wood graining which would be consistent throughout each plank but normally would contrast with the simulated wood graining pattern in adjoining planks. FIG- URES l to 4 illustrate typical panels and areas thereof,

after completion of the process.

non-distinctive and regular graining which is inherent in t the wood itself. The embossed pattern will in most areas be distinct to the touch, but not to the eye.

In order to make the pattern stand out visually, it is necessary to treat the embossed surface further. This treatment will normally require the application to the embossed surface of a pigmenting agent, preferably in liquid form, and the wiping off of the surface rather lightly but sufficiently promptly to remove the pigmenting agent which lies upon the regions of the panel surface that are but slightly indented, or not at all indented, as upon the ridges, but to leave in the valleys or grooves of varying depth concentrations of the pigmenting agents which are graduated according to the varying depths of such embossed graining, heavier in the greater depths and lighter in lesser depths and towards intervening ridges.

First, however, in actual practice, the wood surface would receive a sealing coat, not to fill in the grooves but to seal the surfaces of ridges and valleys alike, and then the pigmenting agent would be applied and wiped 3 off as described, and finally a finish coat, applied as was the sealing coat.

The pigmenting agent might be of a chemical nature which affects the wood to discolor it where it is left in greatest concentration, that is to say, to lighten or to darken it, or it may be merely a pigment in the nature of a stain or paint, which when wiped promptly from the substantially non-indented areas, but left in the graduated depths of the indentations, will produce a pigmenting effect in the latter that is graduated according to the concentrations, and in turn in accordance with the varying depths of the grooves G. The grooves B being of uniform depth and of quite appreciable breadth, will be rather highly colored by the pigmenting agent. It is preferred that the pigmenting agent be of the nature of a stain, for this enables the panel to assume lighter or darker colorations, according to the kind of stain used. A wiping cloth C is shown in FIGURE 7 in process of removing the pigmenting agent.

FIGURES 1 to 4 show panel surfaces finished according to the process just described which are of lauan but which through the present process have been altered to present the appearance of simulated random-width planking, in which each plank has a distinctive graining, and for purposes of contrast each plank is grained in a manner quite different from the graining of adjoining planks. None of the appearance of the panels shown in FIG- URES 1 to 4 is due to any inherent graining of the material itself, but is due wholly to the simulated graining given to the panel by the steps of embossing the surface, preferably under heat and pressure, applying a pigmenting agent to the surface, and wiping off that surface lightly to leave the pigmenting agent concentrated large ly in the grooves and of a concentration in the grooves that varies in accordance with the depth in different parts of the grooves, or in different grooves.

The pigmenting agent may color the surface indentations more or less darkly. Several pleasing light brown shades have been found suitable, or the surface indentations may be made quite dark, as the user may desire, or as the simulated wood may require. On the other hand, an ivory stain will lighten the coloration of the panel, and remove the somewhat reddish natural color of the lauan.

Such panels can be refinished if need be. Scratching need not be a permanent defect as would be the case where a grain design is printed upon a panel surface. Moreover, the application of a graining design according to this invention is materially less expensive than the printing operation just referred to.

Other woods are equally suitable for processing thus, particularly if they are relatively inexpensive and lack a distinctive graining, so the use of lauan alone is not to be inferred.

Another suitable panel, especially where a light color is desired in the finished panel, is of palosapis, another Philippine wood. This is naturally lighter and yellower than lauan, and of even lesser value, but when treated by the process of this invention it produces quite pleasing panels with simulated wood graining, and if desired, of quite light shades.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process of producing a visible and tactile grained pattern, upon a surface of Wood of a variety having no distinct graining, comprising embossing the surface to produce in the surface a tactile pattern of pronounced ridges and valleys, with said valleys having varying widths and extending to various depths below a level defined by the tops of the ridges, and said ridges and valleys together defining a pattern resembling pronounced wood graining different from any pattern resulting from the indistinct graining of the wood, said valleys and ridges being distinct to the touch but indistinct to the eye,

applying a pigmenting material over the embossed surface,

Wiping off the pigmenting material from the surface,

and

removing by such wiping substantial portions of the material from the ridges and valleys of only slight depth, and lesser portions of the material from the valleys of greater depth, thus to leave after the wiping ridges and slightly indented valley regions relatively free of pigmenting material and valleys of greater depth containing concentrations of pigmenting material which are graduated according to the varying depths of the valleys, with the surfaces of such concentrations lying at various levels below the level defined by the tops of the ridges, whereby there remains a tactile grain pattern which has added thereto a visible grain pattern with graduated pigment coloration complementing by a relationship with the depth of the valleys the tactile grain pattern produced by the embossing step.

2. A panel having wood forming one surface of the panel where such wood is of a variety having no distinct graining,

said panel having an embossed and thus tactile pattern of pronounced ridges and valleys extending over said surface different from and thus overriding any pattern resulting from the indistinct graining of the wood and the regions of dense and less dense wood forming such graining,

said tactile pattern comprising valleys of variable depth and width, and intervening ridges, distributed over the panel surface, which simulate in three dimensions a pronounced and attractive wood graining, and

varied concentrations of pigmenting material distributed over said surface, with greatest concentrations in said valleys and least concentrations on the top of the ridges and valleys of slight depth, said concentrations in said valleys all residing at levels substantially below the top of the ridges and said concentrations being graduated according to valley depth, with greatest concentrations and thus greatest coloration in valleys of greatest depth,

said concentrations producing a visual pattern over said panel surface which because of such distribution of pigmenting material concentrations complements through a relationship with the depths of the valleys the tactile grain pattern formed by said ridges and valleys.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,653,481 12/1927 Spargo 161-124 XR 1,947,459 2/1934 Casto 413O 2,345,942 4/1944 Lehman 41-26 2,467,194 4/ 1949 DeWitt. 2,634,534 4/1953 Brown 4126 ALEXANDER WYMAN, Primary Examiner.

JACOB STEINBERG, EARL M, BERGERT, Examiners. 

2. A PANEL HAVING WOOD FORMING ONE SURFACE OF THE PANEL WHERE SUCH WOOD IS OF A VARIETY HAVING NO DISTINCT GRAINING, SAID PANEL HAVING AN EMBOSSED AND THUS TACTILE PATTERN OF PRONOUNCED RIDGES AND VALLEYS EXTENDING OVER SAID SURFACE DIFFERENT FROM AND THUS OVERRIDING ANY PATTERN RESULTING FROM THE INDISTINCT GRAINING OF THE WOOD AND THE REGIONS OF DENSE AND LESS DENSE WOOD FORMING SUCH GRAINING, SAID TACTILE PATTERN COMPRISING VALLEYS OF VARIABLE DEPTH AND WIDTH, AND INTERVENING RIDGES, DISTRIBUTED OVER THE PANEL SURFACE, WHICH SIMULATE IN THREE DIMENSIONS A PRONOUNCED AND ATTRACTIVE WOOD GRAINING, AND VARIED CONCENTRATIONS OF PIGMENTING MATERIAL DISTRIBUTED OVER SAID SURFACE, WITH GREATEST CONCENTRATIONS IN SAID VALLEYS AND LEAST CONCENTRATIONS ON THE TOP OF THE RIDGES AND VALLEYS OF SLIGHT DEPTH, SAID CONCENTRATIONS IN SAID VALLEYS ALL RESIDING AT LEVELS SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE TOP OF THE RIDGES AND SAID CONCENTRATIONS BEING GRADUATED ACCORDING TO VALLEY DEPTH, WITH GREATEST CONCENTRATIONS AND THUS GREATEST COLORATION IN VALLEYS OF GREATEST DEPTH, SAID CONCENTRATIONS PRODUCING A VISUAL PATTERN OVER SAID PANEL SURFACE WHICH BECAUSE OF SUCH DISTRIBUTION OF PIGMENTING MATERIAL CONCENTRATIONS COMPLEMENTS THROUGH A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DEPTHS OF THE VALLEYS THE TACTILE GRAIN PATTERN FORMED BY SAID RIDGES AND VALLEYS. 